In the basic oxygen process for making steel, the furnace typically includes a tiltable vessel. A hood is located over the open top or mouth of the vessel for conveying fumes and smoke to a waste collection and purification chamber. Various devices have been involved for accessing the interior of the furnace to take oxygen readings and temperature measurements without turning the vessel partially on its side. U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,034 discloses a sublance arrangement which enables insertion and retraction of sampling equipment with a permanent installation. These types of sublances are very expensive and cost several million dollars to install. Moreover, they take considerable time to use increasing the time of completing a "heat".
Typically the water cooled hood for the furnace is provided with a chute leading into the furnace for introducing various additives which may be required during the steel making process. The chute enables access to the interior of the vessel. Measuring devices are available which involve the use of expendable thermocouples which are weighted and supported only by an electrical cord. After use the thermocouple unit and cord are consumed by the high temperature bath. U.S. Pat. No. 3,374,122 is an example of an expendable sensor which is lowered through the chute into a metal bath. The disclosure in U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,824, of which applicant is a co-inventor, provides an improved expendable probe. The present invention provides apparatus for convenient use of this probe with the operator located at the furnace control station at the pulpit.